Suspect in shooting of Idaho pastor arrested in Washington D.C.

A man suspected of shooting an Idaho pastor who led a prayer at a rally for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz was arrested on Tuesday, police said.

Kyle Odom, 30, was taken into custody in Washington D.C. in connection with the Sunday afternoon shooting of Pastor Tim Remington outside the Altar Church, Coeur d’Alene Police Department spokesman Jared Reneau said in an email. He said he could not provide additional information on the arrest.

The attack is the latest in a spate of highly publicized shootings in the United States that have made gun control an issue in the presidential race.

Remington had led a prayer at a Cruz rally on Saturday, and was shot the next day in the church parking lot in what police have called a preplanned attack.

The senior pastor lost consciousness after being shot six times, including in the skull, after Sunday morning service, John Padula, outreach pastor at the church told Reuters.

Remington regained consciousness on Monday evening as a candlelight and prayer vigil for his recovery was under way, Padula said.

“He opened one eye and gave me a thumbs up,” Padula said, adding that Remington does not have feeling in his right arm but appears to be improving.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” Padula said. “Without God, there is no way he’d be here.”

There is no apparent connection between the shooting and Remington’s appearance at the Cruz rally, Padula noted. Surveillance video at the church appeared to show the suspect scoping out the church days before that event.

Cruz, an outspoken supporter of gun rights, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, but a campaign spokeswoman told NBC News on Monday that they were praying for Remington’s recovery.

Authorities told local broadcaster KREM that Odom, who is an ex-Marine with a history of mental illness, should be considered armed and dangerous.

The suspect fled the scene of the shooting in a silver sedan before police arrived. Padula said he was not aware of any evidence that Odom and Remington knew each other.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Sara Catania, G Crosse and Kim Coghill)